Tufts doctoral student stabbed in China

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

A Tufts doctoral student is recovering after he and four others were stabbed in China on Monday, according to his brother and electronic reports.

David Zabner was in Jilin, northeast China, teaching at Beihua University as part of a program at Cornell College in Iowa, his brother, state Rep. of Iowa, Adam Zabner, in a message posted on social media.

Zabner was with three other Cornell College instructors, who were also injured in the attack, and a Chinese man who tried to intervene was also stabbed, officials said.

“I spoke to David a few minutes ago, and he is recovering from his injuries and doing well,” Adam Zabner said in a post on Instagram. He said his brother was stabbed in the arm.

Jilin police said a 55-year-old man surnamed Cui was walking in a public park when he bumped into a stranger and stabbed him and three other foreigners they were with. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, and none are in critical condition, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a daily press briefing on Tuesday.

Rep. Zabner said his brother was visiting a temple in Jilin at the time of the attack.

“My family is incredibly grateful that David survived this attack,” Adam Zabner said in an Instagram post. “We would like to see David home in Iowa as soon as possible. We are deeply grateful to the Department of State and the Iowa federal delegation and understand that they are working hard to make this happen.

A Tufts spokesperson confirmed that David Zabner is a doctoral student at the Medford college studying STEM education with a concentration in computer science.

Jian said the attack in Jilin city's Beishan Park was under investigation. He said police believe it was an isolated incident, based on a preliminary assessment.

Cornell College President Jonathan Bard released a statement to the school community regarding the attack.

“We have learned that four Cornell instructors teaching through a partnership with a university in China were injured in a serious incident during a daytime visit to a public park while accompanied by a faculty member from the partner institution,” Bard said. “We have been in contact with all four instructors and are supporting them during this time. No students participated in this program.

Materials from the Associated Press were used in this report.

Nick Stoico can be contacted at [email protected].